Exciting Ramadan deal at harman house

I was at Dubai Mall last week hoping to get away from the stifling summer heat when I found myself walking into my favorite place on earth, the harman house store. I feel like a twelve year old kid whenever I walk into this place as everything an audiophile would want is there for the taking.

Anyways, since it is the Holy Month of Ramadan, I found out that they are running this awesome promotion called, ‘The harman house Double Offer,’ where customers buying any Samsung branded LED, LCD and Plasma TVs will be entitled to a scratch card that gives them a chance to win up to 30 per cent of their purchase value’s worth in audio products sold in-store. If you ask me, this promo is better than any promotion being rolled out during Ramadan, where consumers get back a lot of value on purchase.

Wanting to learn more about the offering, I was told by one of the store’s sales staff that the ‘Double Offer’ promotion will run until September 3, 2012 and is valid throughout all ‘harman house’ stores across the UAE. Well, since I have been planning to get one of them new Samsung Smart TVs then I guess this is the best time to do so as all models are being offered at great prices while also looking to equip these LED, LCD and Plasma TV’s with the latest range of harman/kardon home theatre systems, bringing cinema-like surround sound to the homes of customers in the Middle East. It is really one offer that you will really find hard to resist.      

Harman Kardon’s SB-16: The sound bar speaker that packs a mean punch

My friend TK invited us over to his place for lunch the other day. TK, who I have known for years, is a true audiophile that really takes his audio and video equipment seriously—virtually investing quite a lot in achieving the true audio visual experience. The lunch invite, according to him, was for me to check out his latest find, the ‘Harman Kardon SB-16,’ which he claims would blow my mind away.

Dropping by over the weekend, TK had me and RJ (who was also invited over) feasted on beef briskets and apple cobblers. After the meal, he ushered us into his living room to show off his new baby.

The Harman Kardon SB-16 is a sound bar speaker presented in a sleek 2.1 channel system—splendid with both right and left speakers and built in amplifiers. Aesthetic wise, the SB-16 blended well into TK’s 40+ inch Samsung Smart-TV. With its Digital Signal Processing (DSP) and virtual 3D surround sound circuitry, the SB-16 made us feel like we were actually part of a movie or a concert that TK played on his system.

Spec wise, the SB-16 comes with  two by 3” (75mm) cone midrange speakers and one x 3/4” (19mm) dome tweeter per channel. The speaker is powered by an amplifier power of  2 x 25W and wireless subwoofer amplifier power of 100W. The operating system frequency response is set to 50Hz - 20kHz.

My call on the SB-16 is that it would make a great speaker system for small rooms, as it definitely brings the punch in terms of sound. The non-presence of a remote control, gives users like TK, a command on everything through his TV remote…and yes, that’s all you need to flick you over to another dimension and reality in sound appreciation.

According to TK, he was able to purchase his unit at the harmanhouse branch located atthe Dubai Mall. The SB-16 is priced reasonably.      

The JBL OnStage Micro III

I had earlier written about the OnStage Micro II and how its was made a part of the goody bag released to these year’s winners at the 2012 BRIT Awards. Little did I know that the latest addition to the range, the OnStage Micro III had already been released into the market.

The JBL OnStage Micro III is another little speaker that could--compact, lightweight and portable. One of the key highlights of this new speaker is its feature of the new JBL Weave Design, which features stand out high gloss, backlit and distinctive designs. The third edition of the OnStage Micro is powered with JBL Odyssey Transducers offering full DSP equalization.

The unit, which remarkably weighs in at 0.45 kilograms, can fill up any room or outdoor space with the perfect audio quality that JBL is known for. In addition, the JBL OnStage Micro III can connect to all personal music players and computers. Other features offered are an easy touch control, Infrared remote, iPod and iPhone compatible and has a USB input as well.

I have checked around and was told that the JBL OnStage Micro III is available at any of the harmanhouse stores in the UAE and is priced reasonably at AED 449.  

           

The AKG Q350: Making you feel like Quincy Jones

Working in an office, sometimes I wish I could have a full blast of music playing in the background to fuel my creativity. But because I work with other people in proximity, I have to content myself with a pair of comfortable earphones to help me pass the day.

An audiophile in earphones? Well, but of course. Sometimes, using earphones gives you a clearer and more audible way to discern the quality of what you are listening to. Now, I guess the next question is..so what kind of earphones would I recommend?

AKG’sQ350, which is part of the Quincy Jones Signature Line, has so far lived up to all my expectations. Is currently my earphone of choice. The unit comes with an inline remote, three sets of interchangeable rubber tips, a straight 3.5 mm jack and has an 11.5 – 23,000 Hz frequency response. 

One of the key reasons why this set is tops in my list are its ultralight weight and packaging in different bright and vibrant colors—a choice between black with lime accents; white with lime accents and lime withy black accents. It fits comfortably into each ear and comes with a carrying case and cable winder. It is both smartphone and iPhone ready.

And because its been designed by the maestro Quincy Jones, you are assured of a full audio experience—do not just take my word for it, play Michael Jackson’s ‘Thriller,’ plug it in and be wowed. If you are looking for an earphone that brings you the best, then head on down to the ‘harman house’ store at the Dubai Mall and ask for the  AKG Q350. 

      

Office Table Eye Candy: Harman Kardon 's GLA-55

Seeing that I had nothing to do last Saturday, I trooped down to the mall and spent the whole afternoon just walking around and checking out the latest bargains and sales across the emirate.  Of course, what trip to the mall would not be complete if I did not make a stop at my favorite place on earth—the ‘harman house’ store in Dubai Mall.

Looking around ‘harman house’ is always a delight for me as I surely will have something that would catch my fancy; and like the blog title implies, something audiophiles would love to read about. On the lookout for a desktop audio piece for my home office, the sales staff there recommended the Harman Kardon GLA-55, which was a two-piece loudspeaker system that showcases the beauty of art merging with science.

Wuzzat?

Well, let me run you with that again. The Harman Kardon GLA-55 is a wonderful piece that would go well on any classy office desk, wonderfully presented in custom chrome tubing with a crystal like appearance. Amidst its delicate appearance, the GLA-55 comes equipped with bassrelfex enclosures and has astoundingly high sonic quality. 

The GLA-55 is definitely a picture of audio luxury and it is proven by the presence of powerful bass coming from Atlas woofers and crystal clear highs from aluminum tweeters. Aside from the computer, you can plug in this dynamic speaker to your iPod, iPhone or just about any device with a 3.5 mm output. The speaker has touch sensitive controls and has an LED display that show you if the unit is on, muted or on standby.

The GLA-55 system delivers with a powerfully tuned digital audio path. The clean and compact digital amplification, coupled with DSP (digital signal processing) equalization, efficiently provides GLA-55 transducers with cool-running power. 

JBL On Tour Micro--the little speaker that could

I have been getting a lot of messages from readers asking for more details on the JBL On Tour Micro. I can understand why such a response, given the increased demand for speakers that you can simply put in your pocket or your bag and bring anywhere. 

Despite the small size, the JBL On Tour Micro is a surprisingly good performance speaker--engineered to perform in legendary JBL style.

The compact device is powered by a JBL Odyssey full-range transducer that pounds out dynamic, big-system sound that fills any listening space and the rechargeable lithium-ion battery and built-in stereo mini-jack cable spare you the hassle of traveling with separate cables and replacement batteries.

A mini USB port and included cable allows you charge your JBL On Tour Micro from a laptop or other USB host while you’re listening to your favorite music and a single charge will give you up to six hours of uninterrupted playback.

It’s the perfect complement for picnics, beach trips and other outside activities where you want some music playing around in the background. Best of all, its conveniently priced at AED 199, which is not too expensive if you ask me. And also, you can find this at any harman house outlet in the UAE.

JBL's On Stage Micro II and On Tour Micro make waves

JBL has been winning it big lately, further consolidating its leadership as one of the world’s leading audio provider. Congratulations are actually in order, as their JBL On Tour Micro, an ultra portable speaker designed to give users great sound from any source, has been named as one of the winners for this year’s edition of the ‘red dot award: product design 2012.’

The JBL On Tour Micro is a lightweight compact speaker that users can bring anywhere and use anytime. The unit works compatibly with any of today’s portable multimedia players and smartphones while being powered by a rechargeable lithium-ion battery.

Also, I just found out that the winners at this year’s edition of the BRIT Awards, the British Phonographic Industry's annual pop music awards, were presented with a JBL OnStage Micro II White, which was part of the goody bag distributed during the event. The 2012 BRIT Awards winners include leading pop music icons like Adele, Coldplay, One Direction, Rhianna and Bruno Mars.

The JBL OnStage Micro II measures at just 150mm in diameter and weighs in at only 0.3kg. But the small unit comes with two JBL Odyssey full-range transducers, which gives it the muscle to outperform many much larger systems. Powered by four AAA batteries, the JBL OnStage Micro II delivers hours of continuous use and can even sync with iTunes and charge your iPod or iPhone through the use of a USB cable.

Fancy getting any of these two compact and lightweight speakers? Well, both the JBL OnStage Micro II and the JBL On Tour Micro are available at ‘harman house’ stores across the UAE.